Ep 711 (25 Feb 1991)
Synopsis Now that they've been given the $700 they needed by Donald's "mystery benefactor" [[Karen Dean|Karen]] and [[Blake Dean|Blake]] are full of renewed enthusiasm and plans for their raffle. They go to the [[Bayside Diner (1988-2000)|Bayside Diner]], leaving [[Alf Stewart|Alf]] and [[Ailsa Stewart|Ailsa]] at the dinner table. Alf is down in the mouth after having closed up his store earlier in the day. When they leave, [[Ailsa Stewart|Ailsa]] comments how it's strange that some people throw in the towel easily when the going gets tough. Alf sees it as a dig at him but she gently says it wasn't really meant to be. [[Donald Fisher|Donald]] orders something to eat in the diner and is joined by by Blake and Karen. Before sitting down with him, the pair try to figure out how they can thank him for his generosity, without him knowing they know. They try to wing it but the cat is out of the bag. Still, Donald takes it with embarrassed good grace. [[Pippa Ross|Pippa]] arrives with a delivery and is asked by [[Bobby Marshall|Bobby]] how her love life is going. She says it has taken a turn for the better for [[Michael Ross|Michael]] and [[Cynthia Ross|Cynthia]] and their attempts fix their marriage. Bobby is far from convinced. Time will tell, she says. Speaking of Michael and Cynthia, they are about to have a meal in his caravan. It was originally mean to be a family meal but it is now a cosy meal for two. Cynthia gave [[Haydn Ross|Haydn]] money to go to the movies with [[Sophie Simpson|Sophie]]. It's hard to know if Michael is that enthused about this new set-up. Alf is now a bit happier than he was. Someone in [[Yabbie Creek]] is going to buy his old stock and stop his living room looking like the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Once those boxes are gone, he will be rid of the last of his old shop and the hassles that went with it. He wants a stress-free life from now on and he will look for a job now. Ailsa thinks taking orders from someone else will be tough for him but he doesn't think that has to be the case. He likes the idea of having no responsibilities, a quieter life and shorter working hours. Ailsa is clearly unconvinced. She believes the world is divided up into employers and employees. Alf is an employer if ever there was one. Having their raffle tickets printed is turning out to be a bigger job than Blake and Karen had thought. Having them designed and printed is going to cost a lot of money, they've learned. [[Adam Cameron|Adam]] thinks he has a solution - there's a bloke he knows who has an old printer that he's about to throw it out. There is nothing wrong with the printer, other than it is out of date. He will be happy to print their tickets for them. For a small charge, naturally. Michael and Cynthia have finished their meal and until now, everything seems to have been going pleasantly enough. They've been doing a lot of reminiscing about the good old days though. That is what has set Michael on edge and startles her. He isn't seeing their past with the same rose-tinted glasses she is. He still remembers the terrible rows they had. He tells her that they've changed and that they've got a different relationship now. He tells her they have a hell of a long way to go. She thinks they can do it. [[Sally Fletcher|Sally]] asks Pippa if she and Michael have broken up? Pippa says they're not quite "broken up" but more that they've agreed to stop seeing each other. She explains about Cynthia wanting to get back with Michael and that she'll be very happy for them if it works out. Even Sally isn't falling for that one. Alf pops into the [[The Boatshed|Boatshed]] with an engine that needs repairing. Michael says he can look at it in a few minutes and puts the kettle on. He admits to Alf that he doesn't know what to do regarding the situation with Cynthia. The break-up with Pippa was her idea, not his. Now he is trying to work things out with Cynthia but it's like they're strangers. Adam plans to print the raffle tickets in the [[Summer Bay Surf Club|Surf Club]]. [[Grant Mitchell|Grant]] tells Bobby and Ailsa he plans to be there when it happens. Just in case something goes wrong. Which of course never happens with any of Adam's scams. Troubled by her conversation with Pippa earlier, Sally comes to the Diner in search of Bobby. She has picked up that Pippa is really upset about having broken up with Michael. She can't understand why they broke up if they both love each other. Why does he suddenly want to get married to Mrs Ross again if he loves Pippa? She also admits that she doesn't dislike Michael as much as she had. All Bobby can offer is that sometimes it is possible to love more than one person at the same time .That doesn't make a lot of sense to Sally. She wants to help Pippa in some way too. Bobby says keeping her company will make a big difference. Michael is busy and asks Alf for a favour. Seeing as he's heading into town, would he mind dropping an ad into the local newspaper? He needs to take on somebody to do a labourer's job in the yard. He is surprised when Alf says he would like to apply for the job. They shake hands on it - Alf's first day will be tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Adam has set up the old printer in the Surf Club but hasn't yet managed to get it going. When he does, the tickets look really terrible. Worse than a five year old's potato prints is Blake's verdict. Ailsa is shocked that Alf has taken the labouring job with Michael. She doesn't think he'll last a week and pleads with him to reconsider. It's a terrible idea in her opinion. The job is wrong and it's also with one of his friends. He still thinks it's the best thing he has done in years. Pippa calls into the Diner and again has Bobby asking her what on earth is she thinking? In the middle of their conversation, Michael walks in. He and Pippa exchange a bit of small talk and it's just a little bit uncomfortable. Ailsa quickly changes the subject to Alf's new job. Moments later Cynthia arrives and Pippa can't get out of there quickly enough. Cynthia can't help but notice how Michael turns and watches the departing Pippa. They sit into a booth so they can order some food but his demeanour is curiously flat. Sally is trying to cheer Pippa up. She is preparing dinner and has made her a necklace as a gift. She admits she's a bit upset about Michael. Sally asks Pippa a question and wants her to be really honest. Did she break up with Michael because she was horrible to them? Pippa says of course not. Sally thinks Michael likes her better than Mrs Ross. And that if Pippa ever goes out with him again, she promises she won't cause any trouble. Adam seems to have finally figured out how to work the printer properly. There are lots of tickets printed and he wants $300 for his trouble. Then Blake notices that all the tickets have the same numbers. Cynthia calls to see Pippa and asks how she feels about Michael. She picked up something between them in the Diner and wants to know if there is anything going on? Pippa assures her that anything Michael and her had is over and that the path is clear for them to reconcile. When Cynthia leaves, Pippa can't hide her pain any more. Her face crumples. Sally hugs her. Cast * [[Karen Dean]] - [[Belinda Jarrett]] * [[Blake Dean]] - [[Les Hill]] * [[Alf Stewart]] - [[Ray Meagher]] * [[Ailsa Stewart]] - [[Judy Nunn]] * [[Bobby Simpson]] - [[Nicolle Dickson]] * [[Donald Fisher]] - [[Norman Coburn]] * [[Pippa Fletcher|Pippa Fletcher -]] [[Debra Lawrance]] * [[Michael Ross]] - [[Dennis Coard]] * [[Adam Cameron]] - [[Mat Stevenson]] * [[Sally Fletcher]] - [[Kate Ritchie]] Guest Cast * [[Grant Mitchell]] - [[Craig McLachlan]] * [[Cynthia Ross]] - [[Belinda Giblin]] --- * Writer - Bruce Hancock * Director - Chris Martin-Jones * Series Producer - [[Andrew Howie]] * Exec Producer - [[Des Monaghan]] Prev Ep [[Ep 710 (22 Feb 1991)]] Next Ep [[Ep 712 (26 Feb 1991)]]